Reflector for lamps



Oct. 6, 1959 R. T. SMITH 2,907,873 REFLECTOR Foa LAMPS Filed May 2s.. 195s United States Patent O 2,907,873 A REFLECTOR FOR LAMPS I l Richard T. Smith, University City, Mo.

Application May'23, 1956, Serial No. 586,757 2 Claims. (Cl. 24U- 103) This invention relates to reflectors for lamps.

In one type of lighting equipment, a lamp bulb is placed in a hollow enclosure of suitable form and the inside of this enclosure has a reflecting surface. This reflecting surface is, however, liable to become tarnished, and the expense of replacing the same is greater than warranted. In another type, the fixture is in the form of a hollow enclosure for the lamp bulb which enclosure is not provided with a reflecting surface, but the base of the lamp bulb itself is silvered to provide the reflecting surface. Such a lamp bulb is, however, expensive and moreover does not distribute the light as desired in many cases.

One `of the objects of this invention is to provide a hollow reflector adapted for placement on the inside of a hollow lamp-receiving enclosure and which reflector is in the form of a shell which can be readily placed in the enclosure.

Another object is to provide a reflector of the type described which is inexpensive, so that it can be readily employed in a lamp-receiving fixture at a low cost.

Further objects will appear from the detail description in which will be illustrated an embodiment of this invention; it is to be understood, however, that this invention is susceptible of various embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a reflecting sheet which may be formed into an integral hollow reflector;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the sheet formed into the reflector;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, showing the method of attaching to the sheet an inner collar adapted to receive the lamp bulb;

Fig 4 is a detail section on the line 1 -4, Fig. 2, showing the formation of the seam between the parts 4of the sheet in order to form the reflector;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of Fig. 2, but showing another embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the fixture, partly in section,

Ywith a reflector embodying this invention in place, part of the fixture being cut away to show the reflector; and

Fig. 7 is another type of fixture, with another embodiment of the reflector embodying this invention in place and of the construction shown in-Fig. 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 6, the fixture is a hollow enclosure 1 perforated to receive and enclose the base 2 of a lamp bulb 3, the enclosure being clamped in place by an enlargement y4 of the base. In Fig. 7, the fixture is one in which the end of the enclosure has a rolled over inner edge 5. The fixtures so far described are well-known and the hollow enclosure 1 may be one which is silvered on the inside or it may be unsilvered, in which latter case the lamp bulb 3 has been one whose base is silvered on the inside to form the reflector.

Referring now to Figs. 1-4, a sheet of a suitable reflecting material, which may be aluminum foil, of crossform and having parts 10, is perforated at its center to receive a collar 11. This collar may be formed of plaster of Paris or a suitable plastic, such as an artificial resin, which by molding, is placed to envelop the inside of the' sheet. In order to strengthen the same, a wire L12 may be embedded in the plastic. Aluminum foil while sufliciently yieldable to enable it to be formed into a hollow shape, is nevertheless sufliciently resilient so that when subjected to pressure it will spring back to the original shape. The parts 10 are in the form of sectors with their circumferential dimensions radially of the sectors so dimensioned that when the side edges of the sectors are brought together they will form a hollow structure. The parts 1f) of the cross-form are now shaped over a suitable form so as to produce the hollow structure shown in Fig. 2. The side edges of the parts 10 may be secured together in any suitable manner to -form an integral hollow structure, as by seams 13 shown in Fig. 4, formed by inter-folding the edges of the parts y10. There is thus formed a hollow reflector shell which is integral circumferentially throughout its extent axially therealong. The open edge of -the reflector may be provided with a wire 1'4 of spring steel and which can be a complete circle without interruptions, the wire being secured by rolling the open edge over the wire to form a rim.

The hollow integral reflector as shown in Fig. 2, which has a rolled edge, may be placed in the hollow enclosure 1 of the fixture as shown in Fig. 6, because the reflecting aluminum foil shell, including its wire, while yielding is resilient, so that it can be pressed into place against the inside walls of the enclosure 1 but will then spring outwardly to engage and conform to the inside walls of the enclosure to form an inside reflecting surface. However, the shell is held in place anyway by the lamp bulb 3 engaging the collar r11.

In a fixture of the type shown in Fig. 7, and having a rolled over edge 5, it will be necessary to reduce the inside diameter of the outer end of the reflector. For that purpose, the wire 14 is not continuous, but is interrupted and bent to form handholds 15, Fig. 5. By moving the handholds together, the sheet between these handholds Will be temporarily folded inwardly so as to reduce the diameter of the outside of the reflector at its lower edge, Fig. 7, whereby the same can be slipped past the rolled over edge 5. The Wire 14, which is a spring wire and the resilient aluminum foil, can then be allowed to spring outwardly so as to hold the reflector above the rolled over edge 5, Fig. 7.

It will therefore be seen that this invention accomplishes its objects. A cheap, efficient reflector is provided which can be placed in any suitable fixture, Whether silvered or not. Resilvering of the inside of the reflector if tarnished is therefore rendered unnecessary. Furthermore, an expensive lamp bulb having its base silvered on the inside can be replaced by an ordinary low-priced lamp bulb 3. The reflector, being of foil, can be readily molded to any suitable shape in order to attain any desired cross-section to attain a desired distribution of light over any desired area.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A fixture, comprising, a hollow enclosure for a lamp bulb, and a hollow shell insertable into said enclosure, said shell being integral circumferentially throughout its extent axially and being provided with an outer resilient and contractible rim, said shell being formed of a reflecting material which is yieldable so that the shell and its rim are contractible circumferentially to permit their insertion into said enclosure, but which material is resilient so that the shell and its rim can spring back after such contraction against the inside of said enclosure.

2. A fixture, comprising, a hollow enclosure for a lamp bulb, and a hollow shell insertable into said enclosure, said shell being integral circumferentially through its extent axially and being provided with an outer resilient `and`contraetib1erim and with'an inner lamp-bulb-receiv- References Cited in the le of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Moersch Ian. 5, 1897 Mosher Feb. 15, 1921 Dunn Aug. 1, 1922 Riley Oct. 23, 1928 Laub Sept. 5, 1933 Protz Feb. 20, V1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 14, 1932 Germany July 26, 1954 

